Candy overload (aka, Halloween)

(I am going to randomly post my favorite Halloween pictures throughout this post.)

As always, the kids had a lot of fun this Halloween.  Kelton and Damon got to dress up early and go to a special Halloween storytime at the library on Wednesday. 

Then on Saturday night we had our ward trunk-or-treat.  It was a combined tri-ward thing, and I was afraid it was going to be insanity.  But it ended up being okay.  The parking lot was almost completely full though.  So, the kids got a ton of candy.  It wouldn't be so bad if we only had one child, but multiply that times three buckets...it almost makes me sick just to look at all of it.

 Natalie got to wear her costume to school on Monday.  She ended up being Belle again this year, using the beautiful dress her grandmother made her last year.  She was going to be Tinker Bell (like she was two years ago) to match Damon, but we couldn't find the necessary leggings (dress was too short) to go under it.  I'm pretty sure they are hiding somewhere in her room.  Kelton agreed without hesitation to be a monkey again.  That's what he was last year too.  However, last year, he didn't want much to do with actually wearing the costume.  This time he was excited.  And I was glad.  For some reason this year I didn't feel like spending money on, or making, new costumes.  Damon got to wear the Peter Pan/Robin Hood costume of Kelton's from two years ago.  It was very cute on him and he loved wearing the hat. 

On Monday night I had planned to just have the kids pass out candy to trick-or-treaters.  They were super excited about that.  But Natalie realized on her own that if other kids were going to be trick-or-treating, then couldn't they as well?  So I said yes, and let them go to the houses on our street.  This resulted in way more candy than I would have imagined.  But the kids had a ton of fun going around to the different houses.  It's strange, because people here actually decorate for Halloween.  I would say that just as many, if not more, people decorate their houses and yards for Halloween as do for Christmas.  I find that strange.  But it does make trick-or-treating fun. 

When we got home, Natalie and Kelton perched in our doorway and handed out candy until bedtime.  I like trick-or-treating here because it starts at about 5:45 and it pretty much done by 7:00.  We get maybe 100 kids, which is a nice number.  It's a lot, but not overwhelming.  It was a fun night.  Now we have the aftermath of all this candy.  I'm still deciding what to do with it.  It has turned into a bribe and threat for everything though.  I can't tell you how many times I've found myself saying, "If you do this, you can get a candy from your bucket," or "I am going to throw away one piece of candy for every wrapper I find on the floor."